Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cairo and Scottburgh

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $647 a month against $1,097 in Scottburgh, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Cairo
🇪🇬 Egypt
$647
/mo nomad
Scottburgh
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,097
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cairo and in Scottburgh

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cairo and in Scottburgh actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $647 per month in Cairo vs $1,097 in Scottburgh, rent included.

  • Cairo $647
  • Scottburgh $1,097

A couple spends around $1,035 per month in Cairo vs $1,694 in Scottburgh, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,035
  • Scottburgh $1,694

A family of three spends $1,423 per month in Cairo vs $2,292 in Scottburgh, rent included.

  • Cairo $1,423
  • Scottburgh $2,292

Cairo is about 41% cheaper than Scottburgh, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in utilities.

Both Cairo and Scottburgh are more affordable than the global median – Cairo 52% lower, Scottburgh 19% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Cairo
Scottburgh
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.64 E£248
$7.88 R 130
-41.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.12 E£1,501
$39.22 R 646
-28.30%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.03 E£322
$5.88 R 96.8
2.55%
Cappuccino
$1.72 E£92.1
$2.66 R 43.74
-35.34%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 E£19.38
$1.09 R 17.88
-66.97%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.12 E£6.41
$0.88 R 14.55
-86.36%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.51 E£80.4
$2.38 R 39.13
-36.55%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.32 E£124
$2.48 R 40.78
-6.45%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Cairo
Scottburgh
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.92 E£48.92
$1.22 R 20.06
-24.59%
White Bread (500g)
$0.73 E£38.92
$0.93 R 15.24
-21.51%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.74 E£39.64
$1.49 R 24.63
-50.34%
Eggs
$1.19 E£63.7
$2.33 R 38.32
-48.93%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.33 E£231
$8.10 R 133
-46.54%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$5.03 E£269
$5.16 R 85.1
-2.52%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.28 E£496
$7.40 R 122
25.41%
Apples (1kg)
$1.77 E£94.4
$1.99 R 32.71
-11.06%
Banana (1kg)
$0.73 E£39.03
$1.94 R 32.03
-62.37%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.55 E£29.51
$1.95 R 32.05
-71.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.50 E£26.91
$1.73 R 28.45
-71.10%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 E£22.42
$1.55 R 25.56
-72.90%
Onion (1kg)
$0.41 E£21.81
$1.40 R 23.05
-70.71%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.33 E£17.51
$1.16 R 19.09
-71.55%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.21 E£11.20
$1.16 R 19.10
-81.90%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.98 E£106
$3.65 R 60.2
-45.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.81 E£417
$4.74 R 78.1
64.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.59 E£84.7
$1.46 R 24.08
8.90%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 E£112
$1.85 R 30.47
12.97%
🚌 Getting Around
Cairo
Scottburgh
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.35 E£18.83
$1.49 R 24.51
-76.51%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.69 E£464
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.39 E£21.02
$0.43 R 7.09
-9.30%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.22 E£11.57
$0.70 R 11.47
-68.57%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.51 E£80.5
$7.59 R 125
-80.11%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.43 E£22.88
$1.50 R 24.75
-71.33%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$32.7K E£1.7M
$36.0K R 592.9K
-9.14%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$27.2K E£1.5M
$30.6K R 504.9K
-11.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
Scottburgh
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.27 E£1,456
$148 R 2,436
-81.56%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.58 E£458
$35.47 R 584
-75.81%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$13.99 E£747
$39.05 R 643
-64.17%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
Scottburgh
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$29.69 E£1,585
$31.70 R 522
-6.34%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.25 E£387
$10.92 R 180
-33.61%
Cinema Ticket
$4.86 E£260
$7.35 R 121
-33.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Cairo
Scottburgh
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$121 E£6,438
$309 R 5,089
-60.97%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$3,560 E£190.1K
$7,540 R 124.2K
-52.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
Scottburgh
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.28 E£2,151
$54.5 R 897
-26.05%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$49.53 E£2,645
$29.70 R 489
66.77%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 E£6,137
$100 R 1,648
14.87%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$60.0 E£3,206
$85.1 R 1,402
-29.44%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Cairo
Scottburgh
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$222 E£11.9K
$389 R 6,407
-42.90%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$195 E£10.4K
$366 R 6,038
-46.79%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$550 E£29.3K
$739 R 12.2K
-25.59%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$346 E£18.5K
$718 R 11.8K
-51.77%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$800 E£42.7K
$867 R 14.3K
-7.79%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$525 E£28.0K
$664 R 10.9K
-20.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Cairo
Scottburgh
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$200 E£10.7K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.21
11.78
37.61%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Cairo: October 11, 2026

Last update for Scottburgh: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Cairo
$195
Scottburgh
$366 87.9% $171
Groceries & Markets
Cairo
$142
Scottburgh
$194 36.5% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Cairo
$119
Scottburgh
$121 1.7% $2
Eating Out
Cairo
$90
Scottburgh
$137 52.4% $47
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Cairo
$50
Scottburgh
$222 346% $173
Sport & Entertainment
Cairo
$39
Scottburgh
$46 17.7% $7
Getting Around
Cairo
$12
Scottburgh
$9.9 * 14.9% $1.7

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $222 in Cairo versus $389 in Scottburgh. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28.00 in Cairo versus $39.00 in Scottburgh. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $142 vs $194 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇪🇬 Cairo
🇿🇦 Scottburgh
🕒 Local time
12:04 12:04 PM
11:04 11:04 AM
1 h behind Cairo
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
9,120,350 Capital
23,949
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to EGP – Egyptian Pound Converter

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 53.4 EGP (100 EGP = 1.87 USD). 1 EUR = 60.03 EGP (100 EGP = 1.67 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Cairo Scottburgh 6,710 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Cairo
  • Scottburgh

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Cairo vs Scottburgh: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Scottburgh cheaper than Cairo?
Yes – Scottburgh is pricier by about 70%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in utilities.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $970 per month in Cairo and $1,646 in Scottburgh. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
What are total monthly expenses in Cairo and in Scottburgh?
Monthly expenses with rent come to $647 in Cairo and $1,097 in Scottburgh. That's a gap of about 70%.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $121 per month in Cairo and $309 in Scottburgh. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Is $1,000 enough for either Cairo or Scottburgh?
$1,000 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $647 in Cairo and $1,097 in Scottburgh, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Is Cairo or Scottburgh more family-friendly?
Families tend to lean toward Cairo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Scottburgh makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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